Comments: Weta from New Zealand

8 comments

When I lived in New Zealand I had a weta as "pet" for some weeks. Based on the
books I read, I guessed that it was a female Auckland tree weta (Hemideina
thoracica). This weta is nocturnal, meaning it is awake during the night.

Comments

Yep, that definately looks like a female.
She's so cute! I don't understand how people think they're ugly either.

I just found 12 tree wetas in my back yard today, hiding in little
holes in the fence. None of them looked like they had ovipositors
though, which confused me. I don't know why so many males would be
hanging around so close together.

It's almost midnight here, and I just decided to go take a look outside
and see if they'd moved since I read they're nocturnal. Only one of
them was still on the fence, and it had come out of it's hole. Then I
heard a sound in the roses above me which I think had to be the other
wetas doing that thing they do with their hind legs. So that was nice.
And then I heard a Morepork calling, which was lovely :D
... and then I nearly walked into a spider web that had a very large
spider right in the middle of it, so I figured it was about time I went
back inside again. hehe.

Posted by Fedishi at 11:02 GMT on 6 February 2006

Fedishi - With crickets the ovipositor shows only when they are (almost?)
adult. So I guess that you have seen juvenile weta.

Posted by John Bokma at 16:54 GMT on 6 February 2006

Ok, I was wrong. They are famales after all.
Once I borrowed my dads digital camera I took a photo from the entrance
of the hole one of them was hiding in and it did have an ovipostior
after all.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c176/fedishi/Bobschicksmall.jpg I
could get the camera closer to the hole than I could go because there
was a branch in my way.
So they must all be this guys females
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c176/fedishi/Bobsmall.jpg Isn't he
lucky :D

Posted by Fedishi at 10:02 GMT on 8 February 2006

I hope you can help me. My name is Dustin Plotts and I am 14 years
old. I go to Calvert High School her in the United States and I am
doing research on the Tuatara. I have to create a Biome and I need to
buy some plastic animals. I have found some plastic Tuatara but I
can't find any plastic weta shapes. Would you have any idea where I
could buy them from in your area?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Dusty

Posted by Dusty at 16:57 GMT on 20 September 2006

Hi Dusty,

I have no idea if you can buy weta toys in the United States. Maybe
the closest you can get is buying plastic crickets and paint them
to look a bit more like weta.

Posted by John Bokma at 03:34 GMT on 23 September 2006

I've caught a weta in our back yard in Auckland (we have a small bush
area) and I want to keep it - alive - to show some children on Saturday
morning - I run a kids club. I've got it in an old fish tank at the
moment with some places to hide. But I don't know what to feed it - and
does it need water etc.? Any advice would be great. It will be
released on Sat afternoon.
Thanks,
Kaye

Posted by Kaye at 08:05 GMT on 4 March 2009

Kaye, from the top of my head: uncooked carrot and apple. As for water:
I recommend to use a bottle cap with some water, and spray a part of
the fish tank regularly.

Posted by John Bokma at 20:20 GMT on 10 March 2009

so, This is what Bear grylls ate.

Posted by fear pills. at 20:03 GMT on 2 March 2011

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